GI Ranger
by AgentAmerica9
Summary: Law and Shipwreck travel to Dallas and team up with Law's old friend, Texas Ranger Cordell Walker, to take down a Cobra drug-running operation. P.S. Law is the main character, but he just wasn't on the characters list.
1. Chapter 1

It all started when First Sergeant Conrad "Duke" Hauser tapped me on the shoulder in the mess hall.

"Law," he said.

I turned around and saluted. "Yes, sir?"

"Come with me."

The field commander of Special Counter-terrorist Group Delta led me to a table, where I saw three people waiting. One was Master Sergeant Shana O'Hara, codename Scarlett; another was Sergeant First Class Marvin Hinton, codename Roadblock. The third was Chief Petty Officer Hector Delgado, codename Shipwreck.

"Sit down, Law," Duke said, using my codename.

I took my seat, and Roadblock, an enormous and easy-going black man, remarked, "While you're in Dallas, if you see Tony Romo, tell him hi for me."

"Dallas?"

Duke nodded. "Yes, Dallas. Scarlett, the mission file?"

Scarlett, an attractive woman whose codename was derived from her hair color, handed me a tablet that was open to a file marked _McELROY, DWAYNE._ It contained a picture of a lanky blonde man with rough features.

"Dwayne McElroy," Scarlett explained, "is a notorious drug dealer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We recently discovered that he is working for Cobra, and the drug money helps fund their terrorist activities."

"Cobra, huh?" I frowned. The secretive organization known as Cobra conducts terrorism and espionage operations all over the globe, working toward worldwide political and financial domination. "So you want me to take down McElroy's operation?"

"You and Shipwreck," Duke replied. "You have experience with the area, and Shipwreck…well…"

"I heard the word 'travel', and I was in," the Navy man said. "It's kind of like sailing the open seas, just without any seas."

I looked at the file, trying to memorize everything I could about McElroy. "When do we go?"

Duke handed me and Shipwreck each a plane ticket. "3:19 in the morning."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

We boarded at 3:18.

"The nerve of some people," Shipwreck complained as we found our seats. "They're already making us get up at ungodly hours, and now we have to board a whole minute early? Scandalous."

"What's one minute?" I replied.

"I was counting on that minute to sleep some more outside the gate."

"But now you can sleep on the plane and not get interrupted."

"It's 3:18 in the morning. I don't think logically at 3:18 in the morning."

I checked my watch. "3:19 now. Boarding time."

"Shut up."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

My unit, commonly referred to as G.I. Joe, is based in a secret installation underneath the desert in Utah. Flying from Salt Lake City to Dallas, we landed at 5:22 in the morning. After getting our luggage and retrieving Order, my German shepherd, from the cargo hold, we went to the car rental place and checked out a silver 2013 Toyota Camry.

"I heard about a really nice hotel in Fort Worth," Shipwreck said as I drove the car around, looking for a place to stay. "There's, like, fifty stories, a giant swimming pool, and unlimited free room service."

"Oh, the room service is free, is it?" I asked sarcastically. "What about the room itself? Is that free?"

"That's another discussion." Shipwreck waved the comment off. "Oh yeah, and there's also a little dumbwaiter that I can ride in."

I raised an eyebrow. "A dumbwaiter…to _ride_ in?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Used to do that all the time as a kid. My parents owned an apartment building in California, and I loved to give the tenants surprise visits when they took out their laundry."

"Sounds fun, but I'd rather not get evicted."

"What's a hotel stay without getting kicked out?" Shipwreck looked seriously confused.

I grinned and shook my head. "You have a strange way of thinking, Delgado."

A minute later, I pulled into an EconoLodge parking lot.

"No", Shipwreck said, shaking his head vehemently.

"Yes," I replied.

"No. I won't stand for this. I outrank you, Lavigne!"

"Duke put me on lead for this mission. Welcome to EconoLodge."

-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-

After Shipwreck and I convinced the hotel staff to turn a blind eye to our bringing in a large dog and a parrot, and we settled into a small, musty EconoLodge room with one-and-a-half beds and a serious cockroach problem, we drove to the Dallas Police Department with Order in the backseat.

At DPD headquarters, we were met by a tall, dark-haired officer with lieutenant's bars. "I'm Lt. Michael Norwood," he introduced himself. "You must be Specialist Lavigne and CPO Delgado."

"And this is Order," I added. For some reason, Norwood looked slightly disturbed when the dog leapt at him.

"It's ok," I told Norwood. "That's how he says he likes someone. Of course, it's also how he takes down criminals. You can never be quite sure."

Apparently, that didn't comfort the lieutenant.

It was just then that two men in cowboy hats walked our way.

"Cordell Walker!" I exclaimed.

"Christopher Lavigne?"

"Long time no see, buddy!" I shook my old friend's hand firmly. "This is Hector Delgado. You can call him Shipwreck," I said, gesturing to the sailor standing next to me.

Walker's partner, an athletic black man with round glasses, spoke up. "Ranger Sergeant James Trivette."

"Nice to meet you."

Once we all got to know each other, Walker said, "I heard you're on the McElroy case."

"That's right."

"That's why I'm here, too. I guess we'll be working together once again, Law."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone, sorry I took so long to update; I was very busy; but now I'm back.**

Before I joined the military as an MP and eventually got assigned to G.I. Joe, I worked for the Houston Police Department. During that time, I met Ranger Sergeant Cordell Walker when he came to Houston to investigate a series of fires set by a pyromaniac mercenary known as Firefly, who now works for Cobra. We became good friends, working together on several cases later on.

Now, I traveled in a silver Chevy Tahoe with Walker, Shipwreck, and Trivette, who was driving. We were headed for an abandoned house in Fort Worth, where witnesses had reported seeing Dwayne McElroy going in and out.

"We want to go in quick and hard," Walker said, double-checking his Smith & Wesson 629 revolver. "Take down McElroy before he knows what hit him."

"Got it," I said. The others nodded their acknowledgement.

Trivette parked the unmarked SUV in front of the house next to McElroy's hideout. The four of us quickly exited, Walker taking lead.

With one swift kick, Walker, the greatest martial artist I know, easily opened the locked front door.

We stormed in, guns raised. I held my SIG P229 in front of my face, scanning the living room. Order stood beside me, ready to attack.

There was no sign of McElroy.

"Trivette," Walker ordered, "you and I will take the rooms to the left. Law, Shipwreck, take the hall to the right."

"On it," I responded.

Shipwreck, Order, and I searched the rooms in the hall, but Dwayne McElroy was nowhere to be found.

We regrouped in the living room. "He's not inside," Trivette said.

"Well then, maybe he's outside," Walker replied. Just as he said that, I noticed a brown Ford F-150 racing out from the back of the house, speeding onto the street.

"There he is!" I shouted. We raced to the Tahoe, and I took the wheel. Pressing the accelerator down with my foot and spinning the wheel, I gave chase.

McElroy flew through the neighborhood, turning hard onto the highway. I grabbed the radio and said urgently, "This is Ranger unit 119! I'm in pursuit of a suspect in a brown F-150. Just turned east off Forest Hill onto I-20. Request backup!" I didn't know the exact 10-code for backup in the Texas Department of Public Safety (of which the Rangers are a division); I was from the Houston PD (where they don't even have 10-codes); but dispatch got the message.

"10-4, 119. Backup is on the way."

McElroy weaved in and out of traffic on I-20, barely avoiding crashes several times. If he kept doing this, someone could get hurt or even die. And I wasn't about to let that happen.

While I was still waiting for backup, I gunned the engine and came up right next to McElroy. I saw his terrified face through the truck window, desperately looking for a way to get away no matter how many people he endangered in doing so.

It was time to end this chase.

Up ahead, there was about a quarter mile of open road. That was my one chance to take out McElroy before anyone got hurt.

As McElroy's F-150 and the Tahoe I was driving pulled ahead of the rest of the cars and entered the open stretch, I slowed down just a bit, so that I was behind and to the right of the F-150.

Trivette knew what I was planning. "You're gonna PIT him."

"Yep." The precision immobilization technique was developed by the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia. Now, it's in widespread use in law enforcement, and I had mastered it while with HPD.

Ramming the right side of McElroy's back bumper, I kept on until the truck went into a spin. The drug dealer slammed on the brakes, and so did I, skidding onto the median.

McElroy flung open his door and ran across the highway, into the woods. Trivette and Shipwreck stayed with the cars as backup arrived, and Walker, Order, and I took off after McElroy.

He didn't make it far before my German shepherd caught up to him and forced him to the ground. He tried to shake Order off, but the dog wouldn't let go. Finally, McElroy cried, "Ok! I give up!"

Walker cuffed him as state troopers rushed to the scene, and that was that. Dwayne McElroy was under arrest.

But that wasn't nearly the end of the story.


	3. Chapter 3

In the days following Dwayne McElroy's arrest, we began rounding up his underground contacts. The Cobra drug-running operation was steadily falling apart.

But it wasn't over yet. According to McElroy, someone was coming to set him free. We tried to ask him who this was, but he just kept saying, "He's coming. He's coming and he's going to kill you all."

So that's where we were. No evidence to suggest McElroy's claim was credible, but no doubt that with Cobra, it was certainly a possibility.

Now, we were at C.D.'s Bar and Grill, a local restaurant owned by a former Texas Ranger who was a friend of Walker's. I sat at a table with Shipwreck, Walker, and Trivette.

"This is great food," Shipwreck said as he tore into a juicy steak. "We should have Roadblock come over here." Roadblock is, besides a team leader and a machine gunner, a master of Southern cooking. Thanks to him, while most soldiers get MRE rations, we at G.I. Joe eat like kings.

"So how do you like Texas, Shipwreck?" I asked him.

He though a moment, stroking his pet parrot Polly, who he'd brought into C.D.'s. "I like it, but there's something I'm wondering."

"What's that?"

"What's the difference between 'you' and 'y'all'?"

"See, 'you' is singular," I replied. "For instance, _you_ are CPO Hector Delgado. Whereas 'y'all' is plural- it comes from 'you all'. So, _y'all,"_ I said, gesturing to everyone at the table, "are CPO Hector Delgado, Sgt. Cordell Walker, and Sgt. James Trivette."

Shipwreck nodded. "I get it."

"It took me a while, too," Trivette added. "I'm from Baltimore."

"But wait," said Shipwreck. "There's something else."

"What's that?" I asked.

"McElroy kept saying, 'He's coming and he's going to kill you all.' Why didn't he shorten 'you all' to 'y'all'?"

Walker replied before I could. "The man said 'going to' instead of 'gonna'. Clearly," he laughed, "McElroy's not a real Southerner."

Shipwreck looked confused, but Walker, Trivette, and I laughed- Trivette's been here long enough to be an honorary Texan.

Just then, a blonde-haired woman whose clothes prohibited her from being anything but a lawyer ran up to our table.

"Walker! Trivette!" Her breathing was hard like she'd come a long way.

"What is it, Alex?" Walker asked.

Trivette said to me and Shipwreck, "That's Alex Cahill. Assistant District Attorney."

"Told ya," I said.

Shipwreck looked at me quizzically.

"Never mind."

Assistant District Attorney Cahill pointed at the door of C.D.'s. "He's coming."

"Who?" Walker asked. "Who's coming?"

"Dwayne McElroy!"


	4. Chapter 4

Walker, Trivette, Shipwreck, and I all waited at the door for McElroy to come. According to Alex, he had escaped from jail- no one even knew how- and he wanted revenge on all the people who had ever stood up to him- and that included Alex, who had gotten him convicted of armed robbery several years ago.

We waited until he came. A crazed look in his eyes, he wielded a 9mm pistol.

"Drop the gun and don't move, McElroy!" I shouted, pointing my SIG P229 at him from behind the doorframe.

McElroy fired from behind a car, forcing us to stay back.

"I'll get the people inside out of the way," Trivette said, rushing to move C.D.'s customers out of the line of fire.

It was a stalemate. Walker, Shipwreck and I couldn't move past the door, and McElroy couldn't move past the car he was hiding behind.

Until sirens started approaching.

Frantic, McElroy darted out of cover. Throwing his gun aside, he ran _toward_ the sirens.

 _I understand why he ditched the gun- you can't fire on an unarmed person unless they still pose a direct threat- but why on earth is he going toward the police?_

The sirens grew louder and louder, until, with no warning, they stopped. McElroy was nowhere to be seen, and neither were the police.

"What the heck?" said Walker.

"That's crazy," I said.

"I need some more food so I can figure this out," said Shipwreck.

Alex and Trivette walked up to us cautiously. "What happened?" Alex asked.

I explained the events that transpired.

"That's weird," Trivette remarked.

"We've established that," Walker quipped.

And we went back to Dallas Police headquarters to find out what was going on.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Dwayne McElroy watched his getaway car drive off after it left him at his new hideout. The abandoned warehouse was exactly the type of place you'd expect the bad guy in a movie to be holed up, but it wasn't your stereotypical villain headquarters full of useless equipment that only made it look menacing.

McElroy fingered the crate, only one of many, that would bring history to its final stage. At last, the world would be united under Cobra.

And the Joes thought this was only a drug-running operation.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, we were back at Dallas police headquarters, meeting with Lieutenant Michael Norwood, the DPD officer in charge of the investigation. He paced around as we told him what happened with McElroy.

"All I can think of is that someone in a police car, or maybe a fire truck or ambulance, picked him up," Norwood remarked. "So let's look into first responders with criminal records- couldn't be too many of those."

"On it," Trivette said. He opened his laptop and got to work.

"Meanwhille," Walker said, "why don't we set a trap for McElroy? If he's going after people he feels wronged him, then we might be able to figure out who he'll target next."

"You don't have to figure it out. I know the answer." The voice came from Alex Cahill, who had just walked in the room.

"You do?" I asked.

"Yep," she replied. "He's still after me." She handed me a piece of paper.

I scanned the note. It was written in rough, scribbly handwriting, and was signed by Dwayne McElroy. I read it aloud:

"' _Don't think I've given up because I failed once to kill you, Alex. Trust me, next time will be different. Your Texas Ranger and G.I. Joe friends won't always be there to protect you. One day soon, when you least expect it, I will strike. And I will get my revenge. Enjoy the next few days, because they will be your last.'"_

I folded up the note and handed it back to Alex. "You'd better get protection," I said.

"From who?" Shipwreck pointed out. "Any one of the local cops, sheriff's deputies, state troopers, or even Rangers could be the one who helped McElroy escape after the fight at C.D.'s."

"Well then," Walker said to Alex, "we'll just have to protect you ourselves."

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Dwayne McElroy heard a sound outside the door and went to check on it. Approaching cautiously, he stood to the side of the door and said, "Is somebody there?" No one answered.

Dismissing it as some animal, Dwayne started to walk back to the makeshift living area he had set up in the middle of the warehouse. But as he began to sit down, he heard another sound- this one from the roof. It was as if someone were climbing the warehouse.

Dwayne drew his gun, a Glock 17, and looked at the ceiling. "Is anyone there!?" he shouted, breathing hard.

The answer: terrifying silence.

"IS ANYONE THERE!?"

And then, as Dwayne began to panic, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down," a voice whispered.

Dwayne slowed his breathing and turned around, relieved to see the man in the camouflage ski mask. "It's only you. I thought those two Joes and their Texas Ranger pals were here. Why did you come through the AC duct?"

"If you were an internationally wanted fugitive, would you knock on the front door?"

"True," Dwayne shrugged.

"Now," said the man who called himself Firefly, "the Commander sent me here to brief you on the next phase of the operation."


	6. Chapter 6

That night, Walker and I sat in his truck parked outside Alex's house. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Norwood had Trivette and Shipwreck looking into who might have helped McElroy get away from us at C.D.'s.

"I wonder if this guy is really gonna show up," I thought aloud.

"He's a coward," Walker replied. "He'll probably only go after her if she's alone."

"Why don't we test that theory?" I suggested.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking that we pretend to leave, then hide and wait for him."

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Me too, I think."

"Well," said Walker, "I think it's time to go."

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Walker and I stayed up for hours, staking out the house with no results. Dwayne McElroy still hadn't shown up, and now it was midnight.

Finally, a car pulled up. I tensed, ready for action.

Until I saw who stepped out.

"It's just Trivette and Shipwreck," I said.

Shipwreck started calling, "Law? Where are you?"

I stepped out of my cover, followed by Walker. "Right here," I replied, walking to the street to meet Shipwreck.

"We're here to relieve you," said Trivette, "and also to tell you who our prime suspect is for McElroy's getaway."

"Who is it?" I asked.

Trivette showed Walker and I a picture of a heavyset bald man with a handlebar mustache. He wore a paramedic's uniform. "This is Roderick Fells," he said. "He's an ambulance driver with Dallas Fire-Rescue. He has several misdemeanor convictions, and was suspected of being involved in a bank heist that McElroy pulled a few years ago, but there was never enough evidence. Supposedly, he's reformed."

"Well," Walker said, "let's see if he's really given up crime. I'm willing to bet that he hasn't."

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Walker parked the truck a block at Roderick Fells' house, and we walked cautiously up to the front door.

I knocked. "Mr. Fells, please open up."

A minute later, Fells came to the door and opened it. "What is it?" he demanded irritably.

"Walker, Texas Ranger," my old friend introduced himself. "This is Specialist Lavigne, Military Police. We'd like to talk to you."

Fells fidgeted nervously. "Look, I don't have to talk to you now."

"We can always get a warrant," I said, looking him straight in the eye.

Fells hesitated for a second, then turned and bolted.

I raced after him, Walker right behind me. Fells was surprisingly fast and agile for a man of his weight, and he was out the back door and climbing up the fence in a few seconds.

I leapt for him, but he just managed to get over the fence before I could reach him. We quickly scaled it and raced after him down the street.

Fells bolted down the suburban road, but we were gaining on him. I ran as hard as I could, pushing to catch up.

But before I could reach Fells, a car came speeding around the corner, and Walker and I had to dive out of the way. When we got up, Fells was nowhere in sight.

But he couldn't have gone far.

One road ahead went right, heading for the highway. The other went left, deeper into the civilian neighborhood.

I took the left road, and Walker took the right. I bolted down the sidewalk, and saw Fells up ahead. It was a dark night, but I could see him under the streetlights. I wished I had Order with me right now.

"He's here!" I called to Walker.

Fells dashed across the street and into a local park. He ran across the playground area, but tripped. I caught almost all the way up, but he got up and landed a hard punch to my face.

Through the pain, I dove for Fells, tackling him to the ground. We struggled on the ground for a minute, then Walker arrived, kicking Fells as he was trying to choke me.

Finally, Fells gave in. I cuffed him, and Walker said, "It looks like we've got our getaway man."


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, the four of us sat in Dallas police headquarters, waiting for some answers. Finally, the door to the interrogation room opened and the questioning detective stepped out. "Roderick Fells is the guy, all right," he confirmed as he walked toward us. "He confessed to aiding McElroy in his escape and gave us an address."

"McElroy's location?" Trivette asked, excited.

"Presumably," the detective replied.

"Well then, let's hit it."

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Since Dwayne McElroy was a very dangerous man, we brought in several DPD SWAT officers to help capture him. Walker and Trivette were stationed in front of the house, and Shipwreck and I were to cover the back. The SWAT team was standing by as backup.

Walker gave the signal over his radio, and we all moved in.

I kicked the back door open and stormed into the house, P229 raised. Order followed me, ready to pounce on anyone who showed their face.

I went down a hallway and kicked open doors, calling for McElroy, but no one was in that part of the house. "Found anything, Shipwreck?" I radioed.

"No one's here," the Navy man replied.

"I haven't found anyone," Walker remarked. Trivette reported the same.

We grouped together in the middle of the house. "He might have left before we got here," Shipwreck said. "Maybe we should wait for him."

"Good idea," said Walker. "Let's hide any evidence we're here." He radioed the SWAT commander to have his team move all the vehicles we had come in so McElroy wouldn't see them if he came home. Then the four of us set about closing doors and setting things up just how they had been.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

It wasn't long before a blue Acura pulled up in the driveway. A man climbed out wearing a hat pulled low and sunglasses. To my horror, I realized he had a child in the backseat. He opened the minivan's sliding side door, gestured for the young boy to come, and guided him to the house door.

 _Why would McElroy kidnap a kid? He doesn't know we're here- if he did, he wouldn't be coming back- so why does he have a hostage?_

I didn't know, but I would find out.

Walker suddenly pushed open the house door and aimed his pistol at McElroy. "Texas Ranger! Let him go or I'll shoot!"

Slowly, the man lifted his hands in the air. I saw his face, and realized we had made a horrible mistake.

The man who had just stepped out of the car was Lieutenant Michael Norwood.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

As it turned out, Norwood had just gotten off-duty, and was driving home from getting his son from school. Fells had given the detective the wrong address. How on earth he knew where Norwood lived, I had no clue. But we would find out. And we would find Dwayne McElroy.

The first step to doing that was getting the truth out of Roderick Fells.

At the police station, I got permission for an interview with Fells. I decided to conduct it right in his cell, so I went in and sat across from him.

"Where is McElroy really at?" I asked, looking Fells in the eye.

The felon looked around nervously. Finally he said, "I don't know."

"Where did you get Norwood's address?"

"The police let me call my lawyer. I pretended I didn't know his number, so they gave me a phonebook. I looked through it and found Norwood's address."

"Why?'

Fells looked scared, desperate. "He threatened to kill me."

I did a double take. "He _what?"_

He took a deep breath and explained, "When you came to my house, I ran because I thought you wanted to arrest me for the bank job I did with McElroy. But then, when you caught me and took me to jail, this Norwood maniac said he'd kill me unless I confessed to being Dwayne's getaway. True, I did know the guy, but he was such a nutcase I stopped working with him years ago. So I gave the detective Norwood's address, hoping you'd find evidence against him in his house and figure out what happened."

I pondered what Fells said for a minute, then I said, "Thanks for your help, Mr. Fells. I'll get Ranger Walker to try and get you a lighter sentence for your cooperation."


	8. Chapter 8

I explained to Walker, Trivette, and Shipwreck what Fells had said regarding Lieutenant Norwood. I ended with, "So that means Norwood was probably the getaway guy, not only from C.D.'s, but also when McElroy first escaped from jail."

"So let's get him," Trivette said. "We've got probable cause; we don't need a warrant."

So we headed to the residence of Lieutenant Michael Norwood, Dwayne McElroy's- and possibly Cobra's- man inside the Dallas Police Department.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

At Norwood's house, I could see through the window that he was in the living room, watching TV. His wife and son were in the kitchen.

The plan was to take him down as quickly as possible, as not to endanger his family. Bringing him in alive was next on the priority list; we needed him to tell us where McElroy was hiding out.

Walker kicked the front door open, and he and Trivette rushed in, pointing their guns at Norwood. At the same time, Shipwreck and I jumped in through the window, sending glass shards crashing to the floor.

"Freeze! Do not move!" I shouted. With four guns all trained on him, Norwood raised his hands and knelt on the ground.

As Walker cuffed Norwood, I saw the lieutenant's wife and son come in. "What happened?" Mrs. Norwood asked, shocked.

"Your husband is suspected of being a member of a drug ring," I explained.

Mrs. Norwood didn't say anything, but I could see in her and her son's eyes a look of relief. Before I knew he was a criminal, Norwood had seemed like a nice enough guy to me, but it seemed like his family knew a different man. I was glad this monster was out of their lives.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

At police headquarters, Walker interrogated Norwood. I watched.

"Where's McElroy?" Walker demanded, staring the traitor down until Norwood averted his gaze to the floor.

"You'll never find him."

"Look," Walker said, "it's foolish not to cooperate. All you're doing is getting yourself a harder sentence."

Norwood actually laughed. "You think this is just about drugs."

Walker took on a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

The soon-to-be ex-lieutenant looked back up at him. "You can't stop the future, Ranger."

"The future? What are you talking about?"

Norwood just grinned. "EEG. Figure it out."

Walker stood up. "Look, Norwood. You don't play games with me. You tell me what's going on, or I will-"

"Walker!"

The female voice stopped the Ranger in his tracks, and he reluctantly put Norwood down.

"Cordell Walker, you know you can't do this," Alex Cahill said. "You know it's against-"

"Look, Alex," Walker replied, "something big is going on. We need to know what, so we can stop it."

"But you can't just-"

"This could be a matter of national security," I interjected. "If Cobra is behind this, then we don't know how many innocent lives could be lost if we don't do something. We need to find out where McElroy is and what he's planning."

"I'm a lawyer, Specialist Lavigne. I can't let this happen."

"Well, we can't let his plan happen," Walker said. "Alex, get all the information you can on EEG. We're going to find out where McElroy is."

"What? What is EEG?"

"You heard what the lieutenant said: figure it out."

Alex sighed. "I know I can't stop you, so I guess I'll help you."

Walker smiled. "Thanks." And then he returned to his business with Michael Norwood.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Walker finally forced the information out of Norwood around the same time Alex returned with information on whatever EEG was. Walker came out of the interrogation room and said, "Norwood gave me an address. It's to an abandoned warehouse that used to be owned by a subsidiary of Extensive Enterprises."

"Extensive Enterprises?" I responded.

"That's what I said. What's wrong?"

"Extensive is closely affiliated with Cobra," Shipwreck explained. "They act as a front organization, but they're more than just that. Without their money, Cobra would be nowhere."

"Norwood was talking about the future," I said. "Cobra's vision of the future is a one-world government. Could it be that they have some sort of weapon in that warehouse that could aid in the creation of that?"

"It's possible," said Walker, "so we need to go."

"Wait, Walker!" Alex said.

"What is it?"

"The information on EEG." She handed him a stack of papers.

"Thanks, Alex," he said. And with that, we left for the warehouse, preparing to catch Dwayne McElroy and, possibly, save the world.

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

Dwayne McElroy fidgeted nervously as Firefly told him the news. "I don't understand," he said. "Norwood was our deep-cover man. How did they find out it was him?"

"I don't know," the masked terrorist replied. "But now they'll be coming for us. The truck arrives today. We have to get those crates to Houston before the Joes and Rangers show up."

Dwayne eyed the many wooden crates stacked along the warehouse wall. "Yes. We have to. For the future."


	9. Chapter 9

"So what is EEG?" Trivette asked as he drove the four of us and Order to the warehouse where Dwayne McElroy was allegedly hiding out.

Walker glanced down at the papers Alex had handed him. "According to these articles Alex printed out, EEG can stand for electroencephalogram or electroencephalography. Either way, it's a method of monitoring electrical activity in the brain."

"So, mind reading?" Shipwreck asked.

"Not exactly. It's mainly used to diagnose epilepsy and other neurological conditions, but it's also been used to 'train' brains- that is, to treat anxiety, stress, psychological issues, learning disabilities, so on."

"Training brains…" I mused. "In the hands of Cobra, that doesn't sound like a good thing."

"Besides a lot of conspiracy theories," Walker said, "I don't see any real evidence that EEG could be used as a weapon by Cobra- at least not in a widespread way; it requires electrodes to be attached to a person's head. Also, we don't know that brain training techniques could actually be used to control someone's thoughts."

"Supposing- just supposing- that they _can_ control thoughts," I suggested, "what if they've found a way to bypass the need for direct contact? MARS Industries, Cobra's main arms supplier, has come up with dozens of revolutionary technologies. Maybe a remote EEG is one of them."

"Or maybe they only want to use EEG to control political leaders instead of the general population," said Shipwreck.

"I don't know," I said, "but whatever's going on, we need to stop it."

It was then that we arrived at the warehouse. It was a massive grey structure that looked like it hadn't been set foot in for decades.

Walker, Trivette, Shipwreck, and I approached it cautiously. I cracked open the door and looked inside. Order began growling.

"Someone's in there," I said.

"Let's move," said Walker.

We slowly entered the warehouse, guns raised. "I know you're here, McElroy," Walker called. "You're surrounded. Give yourself up."

"It's over, Dwayne," I added. "We know the drug running operation was just a cover. We know about the EEG plot. It'll be better for all of us if you surrender."

Just then, a round metal object rolled out from behind a stack of boxes. Instinctively, we all fell to the ground.

The grenade detonated, shaking the floor of the warehouse.

"I've been waiting for you," a familiar voice said. A man in urban camouflage and a grey ski mask stepped out, wielding an AK-47. "I would appreciate it if you gave me your weapons."

Reluctantly, we slid our guns across the floor.

"Why didn't you just shoot us from where you were?" Walker asked.

"Because I wanted to tell you," Firefly replied, "that Cobra has found a way to access people's brains through a remote system based on EEG research. It alters your brain waves and makes you completely submissive. There's a truck currently parked behind this warehouse that McElroy is putting crates in. Those crates contain the devices used to alter brain waves.

"NASA is launching a rocket from the space center in Houston with five astronauts aboard. They're going to service several satellites in orbit, but here's the catch: that truck is going to deliver the devices to the space center, where Cobra's man inside NASA will put them in the rocket along with several other devices the astronauts are supposed to add to the satellites as upgrades. When the devices are attached, Cobra will activate them, and they'll rule the world."

I shook my head. "Something's not right. Why are you telling us all this so willingly?"

For the first time, I noticed fear in Firefly's eyes. "Because I'm going to let you go. And you're going to stop those devices from getting into space."

None of us uttered a word. Finally, Walker said, "Why?"

"I work for Cobra because they pay me," Firefly replied. "I don't care one way or the other if most of their plans succeed, as long as I get my money. But I know what will happen if they get those devices into space: they'll enslave me. You see, the devices allow the one controlling them to pick who and who not to alter the brain waves of. And I know that Cobra would see me as an even more valuable asset if I were completely obedient and didn't require money.

"I don't want to lose my free will. And as much as I don't like working with my rivals, I know you can stop this. Because you've stopped Cobra so many times before."

He gestured for each of us to stand up. Picking up our weapons, he handed them back to us. "Stop McElroy," he said. And then he disappeared into the shadows.


	10. Chapter 10

Walker, Trivette, Shipwreck, and I didn't hesitate when Firefly gave us back our guns. Springing to my feet, I raced to the back of the warehouse, where McElroy and the truck were. Order bounded ahead, and Shipwreck and the two Texas Rangers were right behind me.

I saw one of the big loading bay doors close ahead of us, and heard the sound of a semi truck pulling out. Order stopped at the closing door, and we humans caught up. "Stay," I ordered my dog, and he sat down.

I flung open the door beside the ones made for loading, and ran out, aiming my SIG P229 at the truck. The others arrived behind me, and Walker shouted, "Driver, stop the truck right now!" But the tractor-trailer kept rolling down the warehouse driveway.

I fired into one of the back tires. It wasn't enough on its own to stop the truck, but after I shot two more tires and Walker hit two on the front, the driver brought the semi to a halt. He stepped out, his hands above his head.

Trivette quickly handcuffed the driver, but when he did, the truck, with thirteen wheels still intact, resumed rolling, albeit with a couple rims scraping the concrete.

I ran to catch up as the truck turned onto the road. Looking in the window, I saw who had climbed into the driver's seat: Dwayne McElroy. Evidently, he had gotten in the passenger's seat when they were done loading the truck, and had taken over when the driver had given up.

"Stop the truck now!" I shouted, aiming through the window at McElroy's head. But he stomped on the pedal and peeled out. I saw Shipwreck trying to leap onto the back of the trailer, but he fell short and landed on the road with a thud. Trivette was busy with the truck driver, and I didn't see Walker.

I saw my chance. One well-timed jump could do it…

Bracing myself, I leapt with all my might at the spare tire rack on the rear-left side of the trailer. I grasped the corner of the trailer, and my feet found footing on the rack. Looking across the trailer back, I saw Cordell Walker hanging on to the right-rear corner, presumably standing on that side's spare tire rack.

Moving onto the back bumper, I climbed upside down so that I was clinging to the bottom of the trailer's chassis. Walker did the same, and we stayed like that as the truck rolled out onto the highway.

"Let's shoot the tires!" I shouted to Walker above the roar of the truck's engine as I heard sirens approaching. Walker nodded, and we drew our pistols.

The road zipped by below me, an unending stream of moving asphalt. Climbing onto the truck probably wasn't a really good idea; we could have just radioed for backup; but I wasn't about to take the chance of McElroy getting away with those devices. As it turned out, the police had no trouble finding the truck, but I hadn't known that would happen when it was pulling away from the warehouse.

Walker and I blasted away at McElroy's tires. Sparks flew where the rims met the road, and I knew they could be deadly if they hit the gas tank.

Finally, the loss of tires slowed the truck down enough that Walker and I dropped from the chassis and rolled to a stop on the highway.

We stood up. "He's not getting away," Walker observed as several police cars surrounded the gradually slowing truck.

"No," I replied, grimacing at my scars from dropping onto the road but nonetheless smiling as the truck finally came to a stop. "He's not."

GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger-GI Joe-Walker Texas Ranger

"We have reached our cruising altitude of 42,000 feet," the stewardess announced over the plane's loudspeaker. "You may now turn on your electronic devices."

Shipwreck paused the movie on his laptop and took off his headphones. "What did she say? I didn't hear."

"Never mind," I told him. Shrugging, he put the headphones back on.

The plane soared west, toward Utah. When we landed, we would drive the rest of the way from Salt Lake City International Airport to the nondescript compound in the desert, under which lay G.I. Joe headquarters. But for now, I could relax.

Or so I thought.

I grudgingly looked at the caller ID on my cell phone. In the military, one doesn't ignore one's commanding officer and live to tell the tale; thus I answered Duke's call: "Yes, sir?"

"Good work, Law. I called to inform you that Cobra will not be making any more mind control devices. A Navy SEAL team went in to capture the scientist who designed the things, and he was shot while trying to escape. All his research was destroyed."

"I'm glad of that, sir. No one needs to have access to that technology."

"You're right about that, Law; you're right about that. So what of McElroy?"

"He was handed over to the FBI. They'll make sure he gets what's coming for him."

"Good. Well, I'll see you at HQ."

"Yes, sir. Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and sat back in my seat, only for the cursed thing to ring again.

"What is it, Walker?"

"Just wanted to annoy you," the Ranger replied. "I knew you'd be trying to relax."

"You really know how to get on a guy's nerves."

"Thanks, I try. Look, when you come back to Texas, do me a favor, ok?"

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

"Don't get me into a shootout with terrorists."

"No promises," I replied, "but next time people are shooting at you, I'll try to make sure they're just street thugs. Deal?"

"Thanks. It means a lot to me."

"What are friends for?"

I hung up the phone and sat back once more. I closed my eyes and started drifting off, but was prevented from falling asleep by yet another call.

I didn't even look to see who it was. It could have been the Prince of Wales, for all I knew.

I asked the stewardess for a glass of water. When she handed it to me, I put my phone in it.

There. Now I could finally have some peace.


End file.
